Gently Falling Rain
by Frostings
Summary: Takes place somewhere in the middle of "Atonement for a Moratorium". As Maho contemplates her mistakes against Miyazawa, she finds comfort from a brief exchange of words with Takashi...


**Gently Falling Rain**

A Kareshi Kanojyo ficcie! ^_^

Author's notes: Guess what? I don't own KareKano. I do love Maho though, and very sorry not to see Takashi in the anime, so…here's a one-shot dedicated to them. This happens in the middle of the _Atonement for a  Moratorium _episode.

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She slumped down the park bench, after what seemed like hours of wandering around aimlessly. She just couldn't get Miyazawa Yukino's voice out of her head. Her hand clenched into a fist.

_Defeated. Again._

For most of her life, Izawa Maho had prided herself for acting and thinking more maturely than most girls her age. She was able to look into her problems with an objective eye, was able to put aside her personal feelings in order to pursue solutions that she deemed the most practical. But now it seemed that Miyazawa had been able to prove that she wasn't as mature as she thought herself to be. 

_I knew what I was doing was wrong. It was foolish.  But I just couldn't stop myself. _

_How could I? She was stealing everything I had worked so hard for…_

It made her desperate. The thought of losing to someone else was unbearable. The thought of being _inferior _to someone else made her furious. Maho laughed bitterly, recalling her feelings, so strong and insistent only a few hours earlier, and it was now all too clear to her how foolish it all was, how pointless her deeds. 

_How ironic. I set out to prove how below our level Miyazawa was, but she still proved to be the better person between the two of us._

The look in Miyazawa's eyes—determined, focused, unafraid—Maho couldn't help but admire that look in her eyes. At that point on she knew that there was no backing down from her. Miyazawa faced her problem head-on, and she never did run or avoid it. Unlike her, Maho had employed underhanded ways, devices that she deeply regretted doing now. Stronger than the feeling of hate, was the stinging embarrassment and remorse of her actions.

And that was why she was here in the first place. 

Overhead, huge masses of gray clouds gathered, and a roll of thunder rumbled from afar. Maho leaned back on the park bench, her long black hair hanging down a curtain, her delicate features clearly indicating pain. It seemed like even the weather itself was echoing her feelings. People around her began to leave, fearing the approaching rain. Maho remained seated, ignoring both the darkening skies and the people around her.

_It wouldn't take long now for our classmates to figure everything out now. _She closed her eyes, knowing that this was ultimate consequence of her actions. _It is I who has been truly exposed, and for whatever treatment they decide to give to me, I will not say anything. I will take it quietly._

_Because I deserve it._

But she swore that Miyazawa wouldn't outdo her. 

_I can face my problems. I can face the consequences of my actions. I can face anything. I can face it. I can face it. I can be a strong person, too._

The raindrops began to fall. It was only a slight drizzle, and Maho welcomed it, and the scent of the wet pavement rose around her, which was strangely calming and comforting for her. The shower weakened into a drizzle, and every drop that fell on her face felt like a caress.

Then she heard slow steps on the concrete. She was not alone.

"Maho?" a familiar voice. 

She sat up straight and saw herself looking at Takashi Yuusuke. 

They were both immobile for a split second. If he Takashi thought that it was rather strange to see his girlfriend sitting on a park bench alone, in the rain, he didn't show it. He smiled at her, looking more boyish as he did so. He was carrying an umbrella in one hand, and a bag of groceries in the other. He made no move of stepping closer.

"What are you doing here?" he finally asked.

"What are _you _doing here?" Maho asked in turn. 

"I went shopping. I thought of asking you to come with me, but seeing the foul weather, I decided not to." He paused and shrugged. "Apparently, I should have. Looks like you like rain." 

"Only for today." She replied carelessly, a tone of voice that she rarely used. Takashi's brow furrowed with worry, immediately sensing that something dreadful had happened. 

"Are you okay?" 

"I hope I will be." Was her answer.

Silence. Takashi studied Maho's seemingly inexpressive face carefully. It was not like Maho to be so secretive and elusive with her answers. It just wasn't her nature. 

"You didn't answer my question." Maho said, as if trying to avoid the questions forming in his mind. "How did you know that I was here?" 

Takashi shrugged, looking a little mystified himself. "I don't know. I just a funny feeling that you were here. In fact, I didn't know what I was doing here until I saw you." 

Maho's features softened as she slightly smiled. She didn't know why, but Takashi really had this effect on her: his mere presence made her feel more relaxed, and her heavy heart was slowly lightening up, just looking at him, just being with him, just talking to him like this. The rain on her skin didn't feel so cold anymore. 

Takashi gazed at her intently, memorizing her smile, remembering the side of Maho he had seen just a few moments ago, the side of Maho that wasn't shown to just anyone. Something in him frantically searched for what might be troubling her, for he had a feeling of what it was. He had a feeling that it was something about school, for he had already picked up from what Maho told him in the past that it was one of the things that weighed heavily on her mind. 

"Maho." He sighed and gestured to the sky. "It's raining. You're getting wet. If you get sick, your parents will kill me. They're not really crazy about me right now, you know?" 

She laughed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. But I just don't feel normal today, you know?" 

His eyes softened and he took a step closer. "Want to talk about it?" he asked.

Maho pursed her lips, looking down, hesitant, and then raising her eyes again. Then he saw the expression in her eyes—clear, strong and focused, and knew what her answer would be. 

"Maybe in the future. I'll be okay. I can handle it on my own." 

Never breaking his gaze from her, he nodded slightly. "Okay then." Maho's eyes softened in gratitude, and as she did so, a sweet ache closed around Takashi's heart. He wanted to help her in her pain so much, but he knew he could not—and for the millionth time, he wondered at the connection he shared with this girl…this woman. All his life, he had never had something like this before. 

Maho raised her face to the sky, smiling more widely now, breaking the spell. "I'll be okay." She whispered to herself. Then, in a louder voice, she added, "People need to get caught in the rain sometimes." 

_You'll be okay, Maho. I know you will._

Hesitating for a moment, Takashi grinned and closed the distance between them. He dropped his groceries, and threw his umbrella on the ground. The rain grew stronger, drenching them both. Maho looked at him in surprise, but it just made him feel happier. He sat down beside her and took her hand.

"I'll be caught in the rain with you." Was all he said.

Was all he needed to say.

~ Owari.

A/N: Fufufufufufu…they're so…darned…cute. Hope you liked it. ^^; I was just thinking of the differences in the relationships in KareKano the other day, and I think that Maho and Yuusuke's relationship may be the most mature one of them all—not that I'm saying that the others are immature, but the two mentioned may be the most. 


End file.
